tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11546066Wed, 10 Dec 2014 12:15:33 +0000Blog-O-JazzReminiscing in Tempo at a Moment's Notice for no reason at all, in C.http://blogojazz.blogspot.com/noreply@blogger.com (Steve Bowie)Blogger149125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11546066.post-2074093860278259808Sun, 12 Feb 2012 21:11:00 +00002012-02-12T13:11:51.390-08:00Lester Bowie plays "Saving All My Love For You"<iframe width="560" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/2NdabHFBpMo" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe> Lester Bowie's Brass Fantasy plays "Saving All My Love For You" in Berlin in 1986.http://blogojazz.blogspot.com/2012/02/lester-bowie-plays-saving-all-my-love.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Steve Bowie)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11546066.post-2540214319294886277Sat, 23 Jul 2011 22:51:00 +00002011-07-23T15:51:26.559-07:00Campaign for Cootie<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-AKD9NnRbn2E/TitPmJiUy5I/AAAAAAAAAXs/NRmcxvE-Bn0/s1600/Cootie.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="217px" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-AKD9NnRbn2E/TitPmJiUy5I/AAAAAAAAAXs/NRmcxvE-Bn0/s320/Cootie.jpg" t$="true" width="320px" /></a>My last post was about the centennial of Cootie Williams' birth. Duke Ellington wrote "Concerto for Cootie" and "Tutti for Cootie" for Williams. In that spirit, I would like to start "Campaign for Cootie."</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br /></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">The results were just announced for this year's Critics Poll. Abbey Lincoln and Paul Chambers were voted into the Hall of Fame. Surprisingly, Cootie Williams is not in the Down Beat Magazine Hall of Fame!&nbsp;I'd like to solicit your help - Vote for Cootie today, using the instructions from DB's website:</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br /></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><strong>Since this poll is for DownBeat readers only, you do need to be a subscriber — either to our magazine or our e-Newsletter (click here for sample) — to vote. </strong></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><strong></strong></div><strong><br /></strong><br /><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><strong>If you do subscribe, simply fill out all of the categories, or just the ones that interest you. Please vote only once. Any multiple votes will be disqualified. </strong></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><strong><br /></strong></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><strong>If you are not a subscriber, sign up today. Just go to downbeat.com and hit the “subscribe” button to get the magazine. </strong></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><strong><br /></strong></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><strong>Or you can subscribe to DownBeat's eHeadlines newsletter for free. Sign up for our free e-Newsletter here. It's quick and easy to subscribe. Without having your e-mail on file, your vote won't count! </strong></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><strong><br /></strong></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><strong>That's all it takes. To get started on the poll, just enter your name and e-mail address, then follow the prompts. You can select one choice from the list for each category, or write in your choice, if it doesn't appear on the list.</strong></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br /></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><span style="color: yellow;"><strong>PLEASE PASS THIS ON TO ALL YOUR JAZZ FRIENDS !!!!</strong></span></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br /></div>http://blogojazz.blogspot.com/2011/07/campaign-for-cootie.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Steve Bowie)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11546066.post-7594596082185754474Sun, 10 Jul 2011 18:08:00 +00002011-07-10T11:08:09.394-07:00Cootie Williams Centennial<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-sRQHaNfGo8M/ThehOJSkxYI/AAAAAAAAAXk/9AOtxC4AlUI/s1600/Jazz_greats_source_sandstead_d2h_60.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="265px" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-sRQHaNfGo8M/ThehOJSkxYI/AAAAAAAAAXk/9AOtxC4AlUI/s400/Jazz_greats_source_sandstead_d2h_60.jpg" width="400px" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Today marks the 100th anniversary of the birth of trumpet great Charles Melvin Williams, better known as "Cootie."﻿ He was most famous for his skill with the plunger, but as can seen below, he was a master of the open horn, too.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Actually, he may have been born 103 years ago, 102 or 101 years ago. There are several dates of birth given for him and the truth may have been that he didn't know when he was born. The only things the various birthdates have in common is the month of July, even the day could have been the 10th, 14th or 24th!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-KDyqcDpp4Ls/Thnp4aAAFoI/AAAAAAAAAXo/Z0ezKnbfJvY/s1600/cootiewilliamsmetronomejune1942.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" m$="true" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-KDyqcDpp4Ls/Thnp4aAAFoI/AAAAAAAAAXo/Z0ezKnbfJvY/s1600/cootiewilliamsmetronomejune1942.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="mso-no-proof: yes;"><shapetype coordsize="21600,21600" filled="f" id="_x0000_t75" o:preferrelative="t" o:spt="75" path="m@4@5l@4@11@9@11@9@5xe" stroked="f"><stroke joinstyle="miter"></stroke><formulas><f eqn="if lineDrawn pixelLineWidth 0"></f><f eqn="sum @0 1 0"></f><f eqn="sum 0 0 @1"></f><f eqn="prod @2 1 2"></f><f eqn="prod @3 21600 pixelWidth"></f><f eqn="prod @3 21600 pixelHeight"></f><f eqn="sum @0 0 1"></f><f eqn="prod @6 1 2"></f><f eqn="prod @7 21600 pixelWidth"></f><f eqn="sum @8 21600 0"></f><f eqn="prod @7 21600 pixelHeight"></f><f eqn="sum @10 21600 0"></f></formulas><path gradientshapeok="t" o:connecttype="rect" o:extrusionok="f"></path><lock aspectratio="t" v:ext="edit"></lock></shapetype><shape id="Picture_x0020_1" o:spid="_x0000_i1025" style="height: 108pt; mso-wrap-style: square; visibility: visible; width: 135pt;" type="#_x0000_t75"><imagedata o:title="" src="file:///C:\DOCUME~1\HP_ADM~1\LOCALS~1\Temp\msohtmlclip1\01\clip_image001.png"></imagedata></shape></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="mso-no-proof: yes;"><shapetype coordsize="21600,21600" filled="f" id="_x0000_t75" o:preferrelative="t" o:spt="75" path="m@4@5l@4@11@9@11@9@5xe" stroked="f"><stroke joinstyle="miter"></stroke><formulas><f eqn="if lineDrawn pixelLineWidth 0"></f><f eqn="sum @0 1 0"></f><f eqn="sum 0 0 @1"></f><f eqn="prod @2 1 2"></f><f eqn="prod @3 21600 pixelWidth"></f><f eqn="prod @3 21600 pixelHeight"></f><f eqn="sum @0 0 1"></f><f eqn="prod @6 1 2"></f><f eqn="prod @7 21600 pixelWidth"></f><f eqn="sum @8 21600 0"></f><f eqn="prod @7 21600 pixelHeight"></f><f eqn="sum @10 21600 0"></f></formulas><path gradientshapeok="t" o:connecttype="rect" o:extrusionok="f"></path><lock aspectratio="t" v:ext="edit"></lock></shapetype><shape id="Picture_x0020_1" o:spid="_x0000_i1025" style="height: 345.75pt; mso-wrap-style: square; visibility: visible; width: 6in;" type="#_x0000_t75"><imagedata o:title="" src="file:///C:\DOCUME~1\HP_ADM~1\LOCALS~1\Temp\msohtmlclip1\01\clip_image001.png"></imagedata></shape></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">That said, did you know no one has written a biography of Williams? He had a very interesting career - two stints with Duke Ellington, and a year with Benny Goodman before embarking on a period as a big band leader. His band boasted people like Eddie "Cleanhead" Vinson, Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis, Pearl Bailey, Bud Powell and Charlie Parker. He was the first to record Thelonious Monk's <strong><em>'Round Midnight</em></strong> and <strong><em>Epistrophy</em></strong>. For a time, 'Round Midnight was the band's theme song!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="349" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/ofLXD5bbK30" width="425"></iframe></div><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="349" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/Y7DKOuKxD4Y" width="425"></iframe><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I've spent the past few months collecting reference materials and conducting interviews, all towards writing a biography of the great and underrated Cootie Williams.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Finally, check out Cootie's plunger work&nbsp;from a 1966 performance filmed in France..</div><br /><br /><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="349" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/BicqM1eK2x8" width="425"></iframe><br /><br /><strong><em>Happy Birthday, Cootie!</em></strong>http://blogojazz.blogspot.com/2011/07/cootie-williams-centennial.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Steve Bowie)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11546066.post-4683939782806449662Sun, 19 Jun 2011 20:41:00 +00002011-06-19T13:51:55.548-07:00Giant StepsJohn Coltrane's solo on his 1959 recording of Giant Steps is an acknowledged classic. Here are three different homages via YouTube.<br /><br />First, a scroll through the transcribed solo as the recording plays.<br /><iframe width="425" height="349" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/2kotK9FNEYU" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe><br /><br />Second, a robot programmed to play the solo.<br /><iframe width="425" height="349" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/OjONQNUU8Fg" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe><br /><br />Lastly, a virtuoso performance of a gentleman playing along with Trane's recording on piano and bass guitar <strong><em>simulataneously</em></strong>!<br /><iframe width="425" height="349" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/KeJt1cB7AA0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>http://blogojazz.blogspot.com/2011/06/giant-steps.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Steve Bowie)3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11546066.post-7527516997217787509Sun, 08 May 2011 21:52:00 +00002011-05-08T15:18:15.034-07:00New Coltrane<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-d0jHIyo2k6I/TccQ1ir6wAI/AAAAAAAAAXQ/LdoBytHcb_I/s1600/coltrane.png"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5604466773315993602" style="WIDTH: 175px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 258px" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-d0jHIyo2k6I/TccQ1ir6wAI/AAAAAAAAAXQ/LdoBytHcb_I/s400/coltrane.png" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br />Good news and bad news. The good news - there's some "new" Coltrane on the market. The bad news - you have to buy a box set in order to get it.<br /><br /><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-d-fyE7DnlJc/TccRK21_pkI/AAAAAAAAAXY/8Rs-KDQ5I4I/s1600/cover_creedTaylor.png"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5604467139504219714" style="WIDTH: 150px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 150px" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-d-fyE7DnlJc/TccRK21_pkI/AAAAAAAAAXY/8Rs-KDQ5I4I/s400/cover_creedTaylor.png" border="0" /></a><br /><br />As part of the 50th anniversary celebrations for Impulse, they're releasing a 4-CD set entitled <strong><em>Impulse! @50: First Impulse - The Creed Taylor Collection.</em></strong> John Coltrane's previously unreleased demo recording for his Africa/Brass big band album is included, plus some alternate takes from the session. Albums like Gil Evans' <em>La Nevada</em>, Ray Charles' <em>Genius + Soul = Jazz</em>, and Oliver Nelson's <em>Stolen Moments</em> are part of the set, but who doesn't have those already?http://blogojazz.blogspot.com/2011/05/new-coltrane.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Steve Bowie)1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11546066.post-311175325540043784Sun, 03 Apr 2011 18:06:00 +00002011-04-03T11:27:39.140-07:00New Smithsonian Jazz Collection<div><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-qbSB09QWK0w/TZi5LSfSH4I/AAAAAAAAAXA/m7k0SBs62U0/s1600/SFW40820.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5591422540973219714" style="WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 200px" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-qbSB09QWK0w/TZi5LSfSH4I/AAAAAAAAAXA/m7k0SBs62U0/s200/SFW40820.jpg" border="0" /></a> </div><br /><div>During my high school years, the local public library was one of the resources I would use to hear jazz recordings. One I vividly remember was the <strong><em>Smithsonian Collection of Classic Jazz</em></strong>. It was a multi-record set that included items from Scott Joplin, Duke Ellington, Charlie Parker, etc.</div><br /><div></div><br /><div>Last week, a new edition was released. It's six CDs and 111 tracks! (I think the original was 8 LPs.) It's been updated to reflect the changes that have occurred since its original 1973 release. But all the great classics (<em><strong>West End Blues</strong></em>, Hawk's <em><strong>Body and Soul</strong></em>, Duke's <strong><em>Ko-Ko</em></strong>) are still there. It would be a great investment to fill in those gaps in your jazz knowledge or collection.</div><br /><div></div><br /><div>As a taste, there's a link to a Mary Lou Williams recorded of <strong><em>Virgo</em></strong>, part of her <strong><em>Zodiac Suite</em></strong>. By coincidence, that happens to be my sign: <a href="http://soundcloud.com/smithsonian-folkways/virgo-mary-lou-williams-jazz" target="_blank">http://soundcloud.com/smithsonian-folkways/virgo-mary-lou-williams-jazz</a> </div><br /><div></div><br /><div>And if you're feeling brave, take their jazz quiz while you're there: <a href="http://www.sporcle.com/games/Smithsonian_Folk/JazzChallenge25" target="_blank">http://www.sporcle.com/games/Smithsonian_Folk/JazzChallenge25</a> </div><br /><div></div><br /><div><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-VDecf249bmo/TZi5Vbt-n7I/AAAAAAAAAXI/EU7tDALybiE/s1600/jazz_poster.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5591422715249467314" style="WIDTH: 193px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 241px" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-VDecf249bmo/TZi5Vbt-n7I/AAAAAAAAAXI/EU7tDALybiE/s400/jazz_poster.jpg" border="0" /></a></div>http://blogojazz.blogspot.com/2011/04/new-smithsonian-jazz-collection.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Steve Bowie)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11546066.post-4828578404229561226Sun, 27 Mar 2011 21:45:00 +00002011-03-27T15:11:59.415-07:00Stritch Beer!<div><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-d_UKFXCKFsI/TY-zHb3WbDI/AAAAAAAAAWo/EfCDFPem_3I/s1600/lesteryoung.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5588882602910444594" style="WIDTH: 120px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 161px" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-d_UKFXCKFsI/TY-zHb3WbDI/AAAAAAAAAWo/EfCDFPem_3I/s320/lesteryoung.jpg" border="0" /></a> <a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-_IRvEcQwf4A/TY-y7p5-cqI/AAAAAAAAAWY/QkRvFG05tmw/s1600/rahsaan.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5588882400521122466" style="WIDTH: 120px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 168px" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-_IRvEcQwf4A/TY-y7p5-cqI/AAAAAAAAAWY/QkRvFG05tmw/s320/rahsaan.jpg" border="0" /></a><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-98TS3k-Zd5g/TY-zBam7IlI/AAAAAAAAAWg/GT_xAzSSoGc/s1600/charlieparker.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5588882499493896786" style="WIDTH: 120px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 161px" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-98TS3k-Zd5g/TY-zBam7IlI/AAAAAAAAAWg/GT_xAzSSoGc/s320/charlieparker.jpg" border="0" /></a> <br /><div><br /><div>Michael Bowe has relocated his <a href="http://www.angelcitybrewing.com/">Angel City Brewery</a> from Torrance to downtown Los Angeles. He was recently featured in articles in the <a href="http://www.latimes.com/theguide/bars-and-clubs/la-et-night-angel18-20110318-1,0,4801274.story">Los Angeles Times </a>and the <a href="http://www.ladowntownnews.com/articles/2011/03/25/news/doc4d8d0fd5bd974934236055.txt">Los Angeles Downtown News</a>. <br /><div></div><br /><div>The brewery is not too far from our bookstore, <a href="http://www.metropolisbooksla.com/">Metropolis Books</a>. We share quite a few similarities: There's only one letter difference in our surnames, we have LA's City Hall in our business logos, and he's a saxophone player who loves jazz. Mr. Bowe has even named beers after Charlie Parker, Lester Young and Rahsaan Roland Kirk. The prize winning Kirk brew is called "Rahsaan Roland Kirk Stritch Stout." </div><br /><div>I wandered over to buy some beer, along with a T-shirt. The website describes it thusly: "Rahsaan Roland Kirk Stritch Stout, 10% ABV is our Biggest and most Luscious Beer! Made with Lager Yeast, this beer will surprise you how drinkable it is! Complex, Dark, Malty and Warm. No wonder why Stritch Stout won a Gold Medal in the Los Angeles International Beer Competition."</div><br /><div></div><br /><div>I can't tell you how it tastes since I can't bring myself to open the bottle!</div><br /><div></div><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-tkB0J8iivxE/TY-zZ-Yo9cI/AAAAAAAAAWw/V3UX9vNYDh0/s1600/DSC02915.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5588882921414522306" style="WIDTH: 240px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-tkB0J8iivxE/TY-zZ-Yo9cI/AAAAAAAAAWw/V3UX9vNYDh0/s320/DSC02915.JPG" border="0" /></a> <a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-nUjpFOiqyss/TY-zkfFWOoI/AAAAAAAAAW4/h_ZPi36D5vA/s1600/DSC02916.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5588883101990664834" style="WIDTH: 240px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-nUjpFOiqyss/TY-zkfFWOoI/AAAAAAAAAW4/h_ZPi36D5vA/s320/DSC02916.JPG" border="0" /></a> <br /><div></div></div></div></div>http://blogojazz.blogspot.com/2011/03/stritch-beer.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Steve Bowie)3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11546066.post-8824890790116676443Sun, 27 Feb 2011 00:31:00 +00002011-02-27T13:05:31.079-08:00Registering for World War I<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-yweJiS0e5XU/TWq7xEqVzNI/AAAAAAAAAV4/7lzZTVjd97o/s1600/bowie.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5578477540191096018" style="WIDTH: 244px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-yweJiS0e5XU/TWq7xEqVzNI/AAAAAAAAAV4/7lzZTVjd97o/s320/bowie.jpg" border="0" /></a><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Oza08gcqiBo/TWq74U4gHMI/AAAAAAAAAWA/BPZL5hHveic/s1600/armstrong.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5578477664804543682" style="WIDTH: 262px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Oza08gcqiBo/TWq74U4gHMI/AAAAAAAAAWA/BPZL5hHveic/s320/armstrong.jpg" border="0" /></a><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-u05Z-GAj8Qg/TWq79BcmeSI/AAAAAAAAAWI/z2m11HDKbSY/s1600/ellington.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5578477745486592290" style="WIDTH: 240px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-u05Z-GAj8Qg/TWq79BcmeSI/AAAAAAAAAWI/z2m11HDKbSY/s320/ellington.jpg" border="0" /></a> <a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/--WMOABm4Imc/TWq8CJqkDrI/AAAAAAAAAWQ/exOLTYqMcgo/s1600/morton.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5578477833591983794" style="WIDTH: 251px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/--WMOABm4Imc/TWq8CJqkDrI/AAAAAAAAAWQ/exOLTYqMcgo/s320/morton.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div><br /><div>At the rather ripe age of 41, at least in military terms, my great grandfather, John Bowie, registered for the World War I draft. By 1918, the US government required men between the ages of 18 to 45 to register, so he wasn’t quite at the top of the age pool.<br /><br />In browsing these records, I also came across the records for Duke Ellington, Louis Armstrong and Jelly Roll Morton. Only Armstrong described himself as a musician at the time. Ellington was a government messenger in Washington, DC, while Ferdinand Joseph Morton gave his occupation as actor. According to Morton biographies, in his early years he travelled the country as part of a vaudeville troop.<br /><br />On this form, he gave his date of birth as September 13, 1884. As far as I can tell, this date hasn’t been reported anywhere else. I’ve seen dates of September 20, 1885 and October 20, 1890. His tombstone has 1890 for the year of his birth. (He died here in Los Angeles in 1941.) Morton was also known to stretch the truth quite a bit. Some of these dates may have been due to vanity or in support of his claim of inventing jazz in 1902. Or course, it may have been simpler than that – in the days of home births and non-recorded births, he might not have known when he was born! </div></div>http://blogojazz.blogspot.com/2011/02/registering-for-world-war-i.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Steve Bowie)3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11546066.post-6413025362926474438Thu, 17 Feb 2011 12:16:00 +00002011-02-17T04:24:30.313-08:00The Sincerest Form of Flattery....<div><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-3EIFIEStzdw/TV0ShYyHW6I/AAAAAAAAAVo/qhwPloTwlHA/s1600/image014.jpg"><img style="WIDTH: 200px; HEIGHT: 199px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5574632278552173474" border="0" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-3EIFIEStzdw/TV0ShYyHW6I/AAAAAAAAAVo/qhwPloTwlHA/s200/image014.jpg" /></a> <a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-jFMBttINZZ0/TV0SmWSC4uI/AAAAAAAAAVw/Qb5refZuBUI/s1600/image016.jpg"><img style="WIDTH: 200px; HEIGHT: 176px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5574632363780137698" border="0" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-jFMBttINZZ0/TV0SmWSC4uI/AAAAAAAAAVw/Qb5refZuBUI/s200/image016.jpg" /></a><br /><br /><div><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-pwKf_TRHHVc/TV0SW2gg8xI/AAAAAAAAAVY/el9ek11ZUoQ/s1600/image010.jpg"><img style="WIDTH: 200px; HEIGHT: 199px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5574632097552855826" border="0" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-pwKf_TRHHVc/TV0SW2gg8xI/AAAAAAAAAVY/el9ek11ZUoQ/s200/image010.jpg" /></a><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ESC12eOgDGo/TV0ScfquCOI/AAAAAAAAAVg/-RerjdRN6PI/s1600/image012.jpg"><img style="WIDTH: 200px; HEIGHT: 175px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5574632194500856034" border="0" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ESC12eOgDGo/TV0ScfquCOI/AAAAAAAAAVg/-RerjdRN6PI/s200/image012.jpg" /></a><br /><div><div><br /><br /><div><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-TTAb6hTsa0I/TV0SNEl8l4I/AAAAAAAAAVI/2PKxbUo3H2g/s1600/image006.jpg"><img style="WIDTH: 200px; HEIGHT: 199px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5574631929535043458" border="0" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-TTAb6hTsa0I/TV0SNEl8l4I/AAAAAAAAAVI/2PKxbUo3H2g/s200/image006.jpg" /></a> <a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Ytin35M8eOk/TV0SSE-6SSI/AAAAAAAAAVQ/fvjrBxyljLc/s1600/image008.jpg"><img style="WIDTH: 195px; HEIGHT: 200px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5574632015539095842" border="0" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Ytin35M8eOk/TV0SSE-6SSI/AAAAAAAAAVQ/fvjrBxyljLc/s200/image008.jpg" /></a><br /><br /><div><br /><br /><div><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-IbIQHjUtZYI/TV0SB4qIJXI/AAAAAAAAAU4/XdxlSm9j_5A/s1600/image002.jpg"><img style="WIDTH: 200px; HEIGHT: 200px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5574631737352791410" border="0" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-IbIQHjUtZYI/TV0SB4qIJXI/AAAAAAAAAU4/XdxlSm9j_5A/s200/image002.jpg" /></a> <a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-m-DkPbPjmC4/TV0SH6ZFbOI/AAAAAAAAAVA/DL4pMk9SGQg/s1600/image004.jpg"><img style="WIDTH: 200px; HEIGHT: 199px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5574631840897395938" border="0" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-m-DkPbPjmC4/TV0SH6ZFbOI/AAAAAAAAAVA/DL4pMk9SGQg/s200/image004.jpg" /></a><br /><div> </div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div>http://blogojazz.blogspot.com/2011/02/sincerest-form-of-flattery.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Steve Bowie)1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11546066.post-3232102068050130374Fri, 11 Feb 2011 04:37:00 +00002011-02-10T20:41:25.865-08:00A few minutes of Soprano SaxophoneThe soprano sax is a very difficult instrument to control. In the wrong hands, it can make for a painful listening experience. Fortunately, there are some great masters.<br /><br />National Public Radio recently did a feature entitled on the instrument entitled <a href="http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=130401558"><strong><em>Soprano Sax: The Story of a Skinny Horn</em></strong></a>. They mentioned the main practitioners of the instrument, Sidney Bechet and John Coltrane. But the soprano sax was not unrepresented in the swing era, the time between the heydays of Bechet and Coltrane. I’d like to add Johnny Hodges and Charlie Barnet.<br /><br />Johnny Hodges was a Bechet protege . He can be seen playing soprano sax in this clip from “Check and Double Check”, a truly horrible Amos and Andy movie. In 1940, Hodges decided he should be paid extra to double on soprano. Ellington refused and Hodges abandoned the instrument.<br /><iframe title="YouTube video player" height="390" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/IMndVVNmPjU" frameborder="0" width="480"></iframe><br /><br />Charlie Barnet was a big band leader who had a few big hits in the Swing Era, but is unfairly neglected these days.<br /><iframe title="YouTube video player" height="390" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/LadA5HfTYfw" frameborder="0" width="640"></iframe><br /><div align="left"><br /> </div><div align="left">A man walks down the beach and finds a bottle on the shore. He picks it up and rubs it. A Genie appears and grants him one wish. Since the man is a humanitarian, he asks the Genie to solve the conflicts in the Middle East. The Genie asks for a map and studies it for a while. The Genie apologizes and says that he can’t grant the wish because the problems are too complicated and started even before he was put in the bottle…. </div><div align="left"><br />So, the man is granted another wish. Well, since the man is a musician as well as a humanitarian, he asks for a soprano sax that plays in tune. The Genie pauses for a minute and asks….”Uh, can I see that map again???” </div>http://blogojazz.blogspot.com/2011/02/few-minutes-of-soprano-saxophone.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Steve Bowie)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11546066.post-4430410955198894592Wed, 02 Feb 2011 02:57:00 +00002011-02-03T19:03:10.334-08:00Jazz Stamp<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_qQ4jWW8Qj9E/TUjKy9ggnPI/AAAAAAAAAUM/doT29pblkSI/s1600/Jazz%2BStamp.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 317px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 400px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5568923916096806130" border="0" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_qQ4jWW8Qj9E/TUjKy9ggnPI/AAAAAAAAAUM/doT29pblkSI/s400/Jazz%2BStamp.jpg" /></a> A few months ago, I suggested it was time for some more postage stamps honoring jazz artists. That hasn’t come to pass yet, but next month will see a stamp that honors the art form itself. Please go out and buy them &amp; use them. The powers that be love to use sales figures as a reason to do (or not do) projects. Since this is a ‘forever’ stamp, you can hoard them and still use one for first class postage ten, twenty, a hundred years from now!<br /><br /><div>Appropriately, it will be launched in New Orleans in March. This great looking piece of art was designed by Paul Rogers; you can get the story behind the stamp at his <a href="http://drawger.com/paulrogers/?article_id=11778">website</a>. </div>http://blogojazz.blogspot.com/2011/02/jazz-stamp.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Steve Bowie)1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11546066.post-5474007168275596345Thu, 27 Jan 2011 02:59:00 +00002011-01-26T19:09:15.062-08:00Barrie Lee Hall, Jr. (1949-2011)<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_qQ4jWW8Qj9E/TUDhviOaiMI/AAAAAAAAAUE/MqqeT5JuVw4/s1600/blh.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 156px; FLOAT: right; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5566697346187299010" border="0" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_qQ4jWW8Qj9E/TUDhviOaiMI/AAAAAAAAAUE/MqqeT5JuVw4/s320/blh.jpg" /></a><br /><div>I sent an email to Ellington trumpet virtuoso <a href="http://www.barrieleehalljr.com/">Barrie Lee Hall, Jr. </a>in early September of last year in the hopes of talking with him about an Ellington related project (details to follow soon). I didn’t hear anything, so I re-sent the email at the beginning of this year. This time I received a reply and we set a time to talk. I was a little nervous about the impending talk since his emails were rather terse. After talking with him, I found I couldn’t have been more wrong; he was a very warm and open person in conversation. (What I took for reluctance was probably just someone who just didn’t like to type!)<br /><br />Part of our talk was on the Super Bowl IX half-time show in the previous blog entry. I had sent him a link to the video the day before I spoke to him. His simple reply was:<br />“Man, that made me happy! Thank you!”<br /><br />If you’re over 40, you remember the days where if you weren’t in front of a TV to watch a televised sports show, it was gone forever. The summer, of course, was for reruns of regular shows, but not of things like ’live’ events. Since Mr. Hall was an active participant in the half-time show, he had never seen it. (He’s the tall trumpet player in the back, second from the left.) He had forgotten that Grambling was there, but he vividly recalled that the Ellington band’s white dinner jackets provided little protection from the cold on the field.<br /><br />He thought he would be in the LA area in the near future; he’d give me advance notice and we would meet up for dinner or something. That was on Saturday, January 8th. This morning, I was saddened to find out that he passed away at age 61 on Monday, January 24th.<br /><br /><a href="http://blogs.houstonpress.com/artattack/2011/01/barrie_hall_jr_tsu_and_duke_el.php">RIP, Barrie Lee Hall</a> and “Thank you!” </div>http://blogojazz.blogspot.com/2011/01/barrie-lee-hall-jr-1949-2011.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Steve Bowie)1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11546066.post-8280622529385499259Tue, 25 Jan 2011 01:52:00 +00002011-01-24T18:02:34.198-08:00Jazz at the Super Bowl<iframe class="youtube-player" title="YouTube video player" height="390" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/QGFhEFmR4GE" frameborder="0" width="480" type="text/html"></iframe><br /><iframe class="youtube-player" title="YouTube video player" height="390" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/ilq4qUdWSAs" frameborder="0" width="480" type="text/html"></iframe><br /><br />It’s a fair bet that there won’t be any jazz during the halftime show at this year’s Super Bowl. But once upon a time, they not only used the whole halftime show to pay tribute to recently deceased jazz legend; they didn’t even cut away to commentators or commercials! (Duke Ellington had died a little over seven months prior to this event. The death of Satchmo inspired a similar gesture in 1972.)<br /><br />Super Bowl IX was supposed to be played indoors at the newly constructed New Orleans Superdome, but it wasn’t completed in time. Instead, the January 12, 1975 game was played outside in Tulane Stadium.<br /><br />At halftime, the Pittsburgh Steelers led the Minnesota Vikings by the score of 2-0. The temperature on the field was in the mid-40s. Anyone who has played a musical instrument can tell you that it’s hard to stay in tune when the weather is cold. As the Grambling band marches onto the field, you can hear the effect it has on their intonation. <br /><br />After Grambling’s overture, the Duke Ellington band, under the direction of son Mercer Ellington, takes over. (Dig Mercer’s jacket!) Fortunately, they don’t fall prey to the same intonation problems. <br /><br />The band is crowded onto a relatively small float. As they play, Ellington themed cupcakes surreally swirl around the field. The last of the old guard, Cootie Williams, gets a significant amount of solo time on Take the “A” Train and “C-Jam Blues.” He’s in fine spirits, even though increasing health problems would make this his last year with the band. <br /><br />The halftime show is spread between these two video clips. It starts about 3 minutes in on the first one and concludes on the second one.http://blogojazz.blogspot.com/2011/01/jazz-at-super-bowl.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Steve Bowie)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11546066.post-237211751596461002Sun, 10 Oct 2010 19:02:00 +00002010-10-12T04:55:22.573-07:00The King of American Jazz<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_qQ4jWW8Qj9E/TLIce-YinoI/AAAAAAAAAT4/coFhcDOxM7k/s1600/Cootie.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 160px; FLOAT: right; HEIGHT: 110px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5526511011204603522" border="0" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_qQ4jWW8Qj9E/TLIce-YinoI/AAAAAAAAAT4/coFhcDOxM7k/s320/Cootie.jpg" /></a><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_qQ4jWW8Qj9E/TLIb0v7UguI/AAAAAAAAATo/ysHMCNu8zDo/s1600/Duke+63.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 160px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 110px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5526510285769442018" border="0" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_qQ4jWW8Qj9E/TLIb0v7UguI/AAAAAAAAATo/ysHMCNu8zDo/s200/Duke+63.jpg" /></a><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 160px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 110px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5526510727211737122" border="0" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_qQ4jWW8Qj9E/TLIcOcbXYCI/AAAAAAAAATw/e-jdDkYkLVs/s320/Ellington+band+63.jpg" /><br /><div><br /><div><div>While browsing through Amazon a few days ago, I came across a DVD title I was unfamiliar with. The release, <strong><em>Duke Ellington et son orchestre</em></strong>, had no accompanying information – date of recording, personnel, location, nothing. Since I didn’t want to buy a pig in a poke, I decided to Google the title. The full title turned out to be <strong><em>Le Roi du Jazz Americain – Duke Ellington et son Orchestre</em></strong> (<strong><em>The King of American Jazz – Duke Ellington and his Orchestra</em></strong>). Lo and behold, the source of the recording was the <a href="http://www.archive.org/details/gov.archives.arc.47984"><em><span style="color:#000066;">National Archives and Records Administration</span></em></a>. Best of all, the video is in the public domain and can be downloaded legally and for FREE! Thanks, Uncle Sam! [There are other interesting videos on the site - Jack Teagarden with Hoagy Carmichael, Bobby Hackett, John Scofield, a cartoon featuring the voice of Dizzy Gillespie – (<strong><em>The Hole</em></strong>).]<br /><br />In September of 1963, Duke Ellington and his Orchestra embarked on a goodwill tour of the Middle East sponsored by the US State Department. The stops included Damascus, Amman, Kabul, New Delhi and Tehran. Ellington was out of commission for some of the dates due to hospitalization for a virus.<br /><br />Fortunately, Ellington is back by the time of this recording. The source of this film might be from a concert on November 14, 1963 in Khuld Hall, Baghdad, Iraq. According to Ken Vail’s Ellington diary book “This concert is televised live.” It definitely seems to be from a television broadcast, since Ellington is periodically checking to see if he needs to insert a break in the proceedings. A few days later, the tour was canceled upon the assassination of President John F. Kennedy.<br /><br />The sound and video have a few blemishes here and there, but overall, it’s a great concert. Cootie Williams is an audience favorite with his showcase <strong><em>Tutti for Cootie</em></strong>. Billy Strayhorn gets a solo spot on his famous composition <strong><em>Lush Life</em></strong> and then takes things out with <strong><em>Take the “A” Train</em></strong>.<br /><br />The songs are: <strong><em>Afro-Bossa; Stompin' at the Savoy; Guitar Amour; Perdido; Honeysuckle Rose; Tutti for Cootie; Kinda Dukish /Rockin' in Rhythm; I Got It Bad; Things Ain't What They Used To Be; The Eighth Veil; Hits Medley [Satin Doll, Solitude, Don't Get Around Much Anymore, Mood Indigo, I'm Beginning To See the Light, Sophisticated Lady, Caravan, Do Nothin’ 'Till You Hear from Me, I Let a Song Go Out of My Heart &amp; Don't Get Around Much Anymore]; Diminuendo in Blue/Blow by Blow; Lush Life; Take the "A" Train</em></strong> .<br /><br />The personnel is: Cootie Williams, Rolf Ericson, Herbie Jones, Cat Anderson – trumpets, Lawrence Brown, Chuck Connors, Buster Cooper – trombones; Johnny Hodges, Russell Procope, Jimmy Hamilton, Paul Gonsalves, Harry Carney – reeds; Duke Ellington, Billy Strayhorn – piano; Ernie Shepard –bass; Sam Woodyard – drums.<br /><br /><object classid="clsid:D27CDB6E-AE6D-11cf-96B8-444553540000" width="640" height="506"><param name="_cx" value="16933"><param name="_cy" value="13387"><param name="FlashVars" value=""><param name="Movie" value="http://www.archive.org/flow/flowplayer.commercial-3.2.1.swf"><param name="Src" value="http://www.archive.org/flow/flowplayer.commercial-3.2.1.swf"><param name="WMode" value="Window"><param name="Play" value="0"><param name="Loop" value="-1"><param name="Quality" value="High"><param name="SAlign" value=""><param name="Menu" value="-1"><param name="Base" value=""><param name="AllowScriptAccess" value="always"><param name="Scale" value="ShowAll"><param name="DeviceFont" value="0"><param name="EmbedMovie" value="0"><param name="BGColor" value="000000"><param name="SWRemote" value=""><param name="MovieData" value=""><param name="SeamlessTabbing" value="1"><param name="Profile" value="0"><param name="ProfileAddress" value=""><param name="ProfilePort" value="0"><param name="AllowNetworking" value="all"><param name="AllowFullScreen" value="true"><embed src="http://www.archive.org/flow/flowplayer.commercial-3.2.1.swf" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="640" height="506" allowfullscreen="true" allowscriptaccess="always" cachebusting="true" bgcolor="#000000" quality="high" flashvars="config={'key':'#$aa4baff94a9bdcafce8','playlist':['format=Thumbnail?.jpg',{'autoPlay':false,'url':'gov.archives.arc.47984_512kb.mp4'}],'clip':{'autoPlay':true,'baseUrl':'http://www.archive.org/download/gov.archives.arc.47984/','scaling':'fit','provider':'h264streaming'},'canvas':{'backgroundColor':'#000000','backgroundGradient':'none'},'plugins':{'controls':{'playlist':false,'fullscreen':true,'height':26,'backgroundColor':'#000000','autoHide':{'fullscreenOnly':true}},'h264streaming':{'url':'http://www.archive.org/flow/flowplayer.pseudostreaming-3.2.1.swf'}},'contextMenu':[{'View+gov.archives.arc.47984+at+archive.org':null},'-','Flowplayer v3.2.1']}"></embed> </object></div></div></div>http://blogojazz.blogspot.com/2010/10/king-of-american-jazz.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Steve Bowie)1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11546066.post-5555685030028561081Thu, 01 Apr 2010 11:30:00 +00002010-04-01T04:30:00.700-07:00Harry Carney at 100<div><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_qQ4jWW8Qj9E/S7LAlbu-mLI/AAAAAAAAATQ/3a2v8mov-mY/s1600/Harry_Carney.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5454633848031582386" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 327px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 400px" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_qQ4jWW8Qj9E/S7LAlbu-mLI/AAAAAAAAATQ/3a2v8mov-mY/s400/Harry_Carney.jpg" border="0" /></a> Harry Howell Carney was born on April 1, 1910 in Boston, Massachusetts.<br /><br /><div>Earlier, <a href="http://blogojazz.blogspot.com/2009/05/benny-goodman.html">I had written about how Benny Goodman</a> inspired me to take up the clarinet. Not too long afterwards, my musical horizons expanded to include the great Duke Ellington. There were a lot of unique sounds in the band, but the one that stood out most for me was the deep baritone saxophone sound of Harry Carney.<br /></div><br /><div>Carney was an integral part of the Ellington sound, not only as a tonal foundation, but also as a nearly constant presence. He joined the band at age 16 in 1926 and was there until 1974. He was heavily featured, and even when he wasn’t, you knew he was there. One musician has remarked that Ellington had two sax sections – Harry Carney and the other guys. </div><br /><div></div><br /><div> </div><div>Last year, <a href="http://blogojazz.blogspot.com/2009/04/happy-birthday-duke.html">I blogged about <strong><em>La Plus Belle Africaine</em></strong></a>. This version features Victor Gaskin - bass, Russell Procope –clarinet, Rufus Jones –drums, and the birthday boy.<br /><object height="385" width="480"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/45B6jcabaDg&amp;hl=en_US&amp;fs=1&amp;"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><br /><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/45B6jcabaDg&hl=en_US&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="480" height="385"></embed></object><br /></div><br /><div>When our high school jazz band needed a baritone sax player, I jumped at the opportunity. (At the time, the instrument and I were about the same size, so it should have been carrying me instead of vice versa.) <a href="http://blogojazz.blogspot.com/2008/12/freddie-hubbard-1938-2008.html">I played it up until I graduated from college in 1981</a> .<br /></div><br /><div>Harry Carney was one of the first jazz musicians to use circular breathing. Rahsaan Roland Kirk learned it from him and it became one of his trademark concepts. (In a sense, Carney taught me circular breathing, too. The night Ellington died, they showed a video of him holding a long note in a concert performance of <strong><em>Sophisticated Lady</em></strong>. Until I had a visual image of what was going on, I couldn’t get the concept down.) This isn’t the same performance I saw back then, but it is of about the same vintage.<br /><br /><object height="385" width="480"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/brqxEdwsTQs&amp;hl=en_US&amp;fs=1&amp;"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><br /><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/brqxEdwsTQs&hl=en_US&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="480" height="385"></embed></object><br /></div><div>I never got a chance to see Ellington in person and was crushed when he passed away in May of 1974. When I heard that his son Mercer was continuing the band, I consoled myself with the thought that I could see Harry Carney. I’ll never forget one of my bandmates telling me that “that saxophone player you like” died; it was less than 5 months after Ellington. I guess he <a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_qQ4jWW8Qj9E/S7LM_rtPfuI/AAAAAAAAATY/uzrqrqPO7I4/s1600/obit.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5454647493135400674" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 132px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 400px" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_qQ4jWW8Qj9E/S7LM_rtPfuI/AAAAAAAAATY/uzrqrqPO7I4/s400/obit.jpg" border="0" /></a>didn’t think I believe him, so he presented me with the newspaper clipping.<br /></div><div> </div><div>Happy 100th Birthday to Harry Carney!</div></div>http://blogojazz.blogspot.com/2010/04/harry-carney-at-100.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Steve Bowie)8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11546066.post-4450204437615437416Thu, 27 Aug 2009 11:00:00 +00002009-08-27T04:00:00.730-07:00Presidential Centennial<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_qQ4jWW8Qj9E/SpXHza91zpI/AAAAAAAAATI/sqEVrVEjL0U/s1600-h/prez.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5374421416562511506" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 246px" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_qQ4jWW8Qj9E/SpXHza91zpI/AAAAAAAAATI/sqEVrVEjL0U/s400/prez.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><p>One hundred years ago today, Lester Willis Young was born in Woodville, Missisippi. Happy Birthday, Prez!</p><br /><p><br /><object height="344" width="425"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/j7lOdZOnTWY&amp;hl=en&amp;fs=1"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/j7lOdZOnTWY&hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="425" height="344" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true"></embed></object><br /><br /><object height="344" width="425"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/Z10gZTxdHhQ&amp;hl=en&amp;fs=1"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/Z10gZTxdHhQ&hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="425" height="344" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true"></embed></object><br /></p>http://blogojazz.blogspot.com/2009/08/presidential-centennial.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Steve Bowie)3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11546066.post-1519387789547710777Sun, 23 Aug 2009 11:29:00 +00002010-10-10T13:32:28.162-07:001959 - The Year Everything Changed<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_qQ4jWW8Qj9E/Sov8sRm9k2I/AAAAAAAAAS4/AXINCWJ9Emg/s1600-h/1959+book.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5371664818140713826" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 240px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_qQ4jWW8Qj9E/Sov8sRm9k2I/AAAAAAAAAS4/AXINCWJ9Emg/s320/1959+book.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div><div><br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5366461686296290674" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 195px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 189px" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_qQ4jWW8Qj9E/SnmAeJBvJXI/AAAAAAAAASY/HZeVRwKqy90/s200/hawaii+quarter.gif" border="0" />Recently, <strong><em>1959 The Year Everything Changed</em></strong> arrived at our <a href="http://www.metropolisbooksla.com/">bookstore</a>. Things like the Cuban revolution, a couple of new states, amongst many others, make up the thesis of this book. From a jazz standpoint, the author covers the changes that occurred in jazz with albums like Miles' <strong><em>Kind of Blue</em></strong>, Coltrane's <strong><em>Giant Steps</em></strong>, Brubeck's <strong><em>Time</em></strong> <strong><em>Out</em></strong>, Mingus' <strong><em>Ah Um</em></strong> and Ornette's <strong><em>The Shape of Jazz to Come</em></strong>.</div><div> </div><div>And another reason I liked this book: yours truly was born 50 years ago on this date. You know you're old when your baby pictures are sepia toned. There's no truth to the rumor that this photo was taken by Matthew Brady.....</div></div><p><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5372602545988695074" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 229px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_qQ4jWW8Qj9E/So9RjOED9CI/AAAAAAAAATA/aohLsVHyu2Y/s320/BABY.JPG" border="0" /></p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p>http://blogojazz.blogspot.com/2009/08/1959-year-everything-changed.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Steve Bowie)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11546066.post-4487328702185940017Fri, 14 Aug 2009 12:51:00 +00002009-08-17T17:03:02.756-07:00Dues and the Abstract Truth<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_qQ4jWW8Qj9E/SolYFQyIQ6I/AAAAAAAAASw/AWzkVwX1Flc/s1600-h/herebie+nichols.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5370920878043841442" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 155px" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_qQ4jWW8Qj9E/SolYFQyIQ6I/AAAAAAAAASw/AWzkVwX1Flc/s320/herebie+nichols.jpg" border="0" /></a> I've had a few people in the arts (music, acting) tell me they're tired of paying dues. Unfortunately, you don't get to decide when you're done.<br />At least there is a sort of perverted meritocracy to the world of sports. If you make the statistics and help win games, you get the big contract. Winners sell more tickets, which makes the owners more money. Terrell Owens and now Michael Vick have shown that much can be overlooked in the pursuit of the gold. And how many lifetime bans did the late Steve Howe get in baseball?<br /><div>Pianist Herbie Nichols is one of the countless talented and nearly invisible musicians out there. One of the phrases you'll see in reference to Herbie Nichols is that he played Dixieland/Traditional Jazz gigs "to pay the bills." (One of the many forms of paying dues.) I accidentally ran across one of these stints when I bought a Rex Stewart album (<strong><em>Dixieland Free-for-all</em></strong>) on eBay. Listen to Herbie's solo on <a href="http://www.metropolisbooksla.com/OriginalDixielandOneStep.mp3">Original Dixieland One-Step</a> and compare it with a sample of his playing as a <a href="http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&amp;sql=10:3cfoxqqgldke">leader </a>. This was a truly versatile and complete musician!</div><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_qQ4jWW8Qj9E/SolWRK1R9yI/AAAAAAAAASo/L4Qk8Vq-1vI/s1600-h/rex+stewart.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5370918883581622050" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 150px" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_qQ4jWW8Qj9E/SolWRK1R9yI/AAAAAAAAASo/L4Qk8Vq-1vI/s200/rex+stewart.jpg" border="0" /></a> Sadly, it doesn't take much to collect most of his output as a leader. As a start, check out his Blue Note sessions. Besides Herbie's original compositions and playing style, you get either Max Roach or Art Blakey on drums.<br /><div>He wasn't sidelined by the substance abuse problems that have plagued many musicians. For him, it was leukemia. He died in 1963 at only 44 years old. </div><br /><div>There's no telling when (or if) you'll ever stop paying dues. </div>http://blogojazz.blogspot.com/2009/08/dues-and-abstract-truth.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Steve Bowie)1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11546066.post-6360719544473831896Tue, 04 Aug 2009 23:10:00 +00002009-08-04T16:33:09.247-07:00Happy Birthday, Satchmo!<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_qQ4jWW8Qj9E/SnjAXnh9vLI/AAAAAAAAASI/PZuu7-g8BiA/s1600-h/armstrong.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5366250467992911026" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 157px" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_qQ4jWW8Qj9E/SnjAXnh9vLI/AAAAAAAAASI/PZuu7-g8BiA/s200/armstrong.jpg" border="0" /></a> Louis Armstrong was born on this date in 1901. During his lifetime, he used July 4, 1900 because he didn't know his true date of birth. Many years after his death, critic Gary Giddens a Catholic baptismal record that showed when he truly arrived into the world.<br /><br />If you're looking for some great Satchmo recordings, try the new Mosaic Records box set. I got it last month and have been listening to it like crazy!<br /><br />By the way, if you look at the 1910 census, it implies that someone in the household knew young Louis' true age! (Click on the image to make it larger; Louis is on the last line.) As a side note, the Mosaic set contains three takes of a Armstrong composition called <strong><em>Old Man Mose</em></strong>, the tale of someone who's checking to see if the title subject is living or dead. Maybe Louis was inspired to write the tale based on his neighbor, Mose Smith (enumerated just ahead of Satchmo's household.)<br /><br /><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_qQ4jWW8Qj9E/SnjB5KL7NqI/AAAAAAAAASQ/S7mgvN5B66M/s1600-h/Armstrong+1910.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5366252143743022754" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 305px" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_qQ4jWW8Qj9E/SnjB5KL7NqI/AAAAAAAAASQ/S7mgvN5B66M/s400/Armstrong+1910.jpg" border="0" /></a>http://blogojazz.blogspot.com/2009/08/happy-birthday-satchmo.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Steve Bowie)2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11546066.post-6614287929981926919Tue, 28 Jul 2009 12:57:00 +00002009-07-28T06:03:38.058-07:00A couple of jazz photo galleries from "Life"<!-- LIFE GALLERY 24021 --><script type="text/javascript" src="http://www.life.com/embed/index/js"></script><script type="text/javascript">LIFEembedDrawGallery(24021);</script><br /><br /><br /><br /><!-- LIFE GALLERY 24061 --><script type="text/javascript" src="http://www.life.com/embed/index/js"></script><script type="text/javascript">LIFEembedDrawGallery(24061);</script><br /><br />I'm still here, sorry for the gap in postings!http://blogojazz.blogspot.com/2009/07/couple-of-jazz-photo-galleries-from.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Steve Bowie)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11546066.post-1064115238281677821Sat, 30 May 2009 21:05:00 +00002009-06-02T22:28:22.178-07:00Benny Goodman<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_qQ4jWW8Qj9E/SiHBFvljfyI/AAAAAAAAARY/PegR460T_o0/s1600-h/BG.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5341762937455607586" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 291px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 400px" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_qQ4jWW8Qj9E/SiHBFvljfyI/AAAAAAAAARY/PegR460T_o0/s400/BG.jpg" border="0" /></a>When I was 10 years old, I wanted to play the tenor sax. I just loved the music of Jr. Walker and the All Stars at that time. I asked my parents if we could rent one, but I was told that the family finances wouldn't allow it. Plus I was told that it would be doubtful if I'd stick with it. But, if I wanted to try the clarinet, I could use the one my mother played when she was in grade school. <em>Clarinet? That's a girl's instrument! No thanks!<br /></em><br />Well, a few months later, I happened to see <strong><em>The Benny Goodman Story</em></strong> on one of those television Saturday matinees. Wow, all those horns! <em>Sing, Sing, Sing</em>! Maybe clarinet wouldn't be so bad after all. With that, I joined the beginner's class mid-year. (To catch up on the fingering, I wrote a number system under every note. Unfortunately, it became a crutch for me and I didn't stop until my 7th grade band director saw it and gave me grief for it.)<br /><br />My grandmother had some big band records. In addition to Benny Goodman, she had Artie Shaw, Tommy Dorsey and Glenn Miller, to name a few. I would listen to these like crazy and I also listened to the radio to get more of this music. Besides the FM jazz station, KFI 640 used to play big band music. (The host was Chuck Cecil, who is still at it, although now on KJAZ 88.1. )<br /><br />Eventually, I was able to discover so many other artists after the initial discovery of Benny Goodman. You can see where the ensuing 40 years have led me from the entries in this blog. Occasionally, I still like to remind my mother that she said I'd never stick with the horn!<br /><br />I never got to see Benny in person. He didn't play in LA much, but I remember he played at the Hollywood Bowl at the 1979 Playboy Jazz Festival. As a college student, it didn't work out dough-wise.<br /><br />Benny Goodman was born 100 years ago today. Thanks for everything, Benny!<br /><br /><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/3mJ4dpNal_k&amp;hl=" width="425" height="344" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" fs="1" allowfullscreen="true" allowscriptaccess="always"></embed>http://blogojazz.blogspot.com/2009/05/benny-goodman.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Steve Bowie)1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11546066.post-9158121173424213081Sun, 17 May 2009 22:50:00 +00002009-05-23T13:49:24.670-07:00Duke Ellington plays the Beatles! (reposted)<p><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/x6YoPHETGQI&amp;hl=" width="425" height="344" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" allowscriptaccess="always" fs="1"></embed><br /><br /><br />File this under things that jazz musicians had to do to survive during the rock and roll era. Those sleeves!!!</p><p>I had identified most of the personnel in the above video. A reader [Idiom59] left a comment that added the full list. His illuminating comment has been moved to the post: </p><p></p><p>"Great Sleeves. The personnel is:</p><p>Cootie Williams, Mercer Ellington, Willie Cook, Cat Anderson tpts.</p><p>Booty Wood, Chuck Connors, Julian Preister tmbs</p><p>Paul Gonsalves, Harold Asby, Norris Turney, Johnny Hodges, Russell Procope saxes</p><p>[Wild Bill Davis - organ] Victor Gaskin e-bass Joe Benjamin bass Tiny Grimes guitar Rufus Jones drums </p><p>Harry Carney was present for the pre-recordings on the 22/2/70 but his Father died on that day so he was missing for the actual telecast on the 23rd.What we see is Russell Procope miming Harry's part! I think that this was also Johnny Hodges final TV appearance as he died the following May. " </p>http://blogojazz.blogspot.com/2009/03/duke-ellington-plays-beatles.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Steve Bowie)1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11546066.post-8228383137852035644Thu, 14 May 2009 13:11:00 +00002009-05-14T19:00:48.725-07:00Sidney Bechet: May 14, 1897 - May 14, 1959<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_qQ4jWW8Qj9E/SgzMOPzblAI/AAAAAAAAARQ/KWZby0oL3d8/s1600-h/bechet.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5335864203659678722" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 389px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_qQ4jWW8Qj9E/SgzMOPzblAI/AAAAAAAAARQ/KWZby0oL3d8/s400/bechet.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><div><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_qQ4jWW8Qj9E/SgwYP9IN85I/AAAAAAAAARI/Ob0FRgIDOFo/s1600-h/bechet.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5335666320913331090" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 144px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 126px" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_qQ4jWW8Qj9E/SgwYP9IN85I/AAAAAAAAARI/Ob0FRgIDOFo/s400/bechet.jpg" border="0" /></a> I was in high school when I first heard soprano saxophonist/clarinetist Sidney Bechet on the local radio station. Back then (the mid-70s), the Los Angeles Jazz Station, KBCA 105.1 used to feature a traditional jazz program on Sunday afternoons. It was called "Strictly From Dixie" and was hosted by Benson Curtis. The great thing about his show was he told you background information about the recordings and the players. (Now, it seems like you don't even get the names of the sidemen.) Although Bechet's wide vibrato takes some getting used to, his inventive and powerful improvisations don't.<br />(Many of the Bechet songs that I recorded off the radio years ago were recently reissued on CD by Mosaic.)<br />Sidney Bechet was born on May 14, 1897 in New Orleans. He died on May 14, 1959 in France, 50 years ago today.<br /><object height="344" width="425"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/2d6E9TD0Zbs&amp;hl=en&amp;fs=1"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><br /><br /><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/2d6E9TD0Zbs&hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object><br />This video of Bechet features Teddy Buckner on trumpet. For many years, Buckner led the trad jazz band that played at Disneyland's New Orleans Square. Every time we'd go, it was always fun to listen to his group. (Also, the drummer on this is Roy Eldridge, usually heard on trumpet. He was definitely no slouch on <em>la batterie</em>, either!)</div><br /><div></div>http://blogojazz.blogspot.com/2009/05/sidney-bechet-may-14-1897-may-14-1959.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Steve Bowie)1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11546066.post-2965654210934001333Tue, 05 May 2009 12:44:00 +00002009-05-05T06:03:08.448-07:00The Cat Who Went To Heaven<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_qQ4jWW8Qj9E/SgA4tqFJ4RI/AAAAAAAAARA/pCw3dqAx6EM/s1600-h/Cover_Art.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5332324315847844114" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 361px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_qQ4jWW8Qj9E/SgA4tqFJ4RI/AAAAAAAAARA/pCw3dqAx6EM/s400/Cover_Art.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div>A Jazz Opera! Starting next week (May 13th), you can see some jazz greats in an unusual setting.<br /><br />Jazz singer and songwriter <a href="http://www.nancyharrow.com/">Nancy Harrow</a> has teamed up with the Culture Project, to present a jazz puppet show based on the Newbery Award-winning book, <strong><em>The Cat Who Went To Heaven</em></strong>, by Elizabeth Coatsworth. Harrow is best known for recording jazz albums inspired by literary subjects; her album The Lost Lady was dubbed one of the best jazz albums of the year by both the Village Voice and Boston Globe. In this live production of her children’s book-inspired album, she tells the story through 26 contemporary jazz tracks and the traditional Japanese art of Bunraku puppetry. The all-star ensemble includes Nancy Harrow, notable instrumentalists Clark Terry, Kenny Barron, Frank Wess, George Mraz and the voice of Grady Tate.<br /><br />Suggested donation is $10. For more information, go to <a href="http://www.cultureproject.org/">www.cultureproject.org</a> or <a href="http://www.harlemschoolofthearts.org/">www.harlemschoolofthearts.org</a>. Reservations can be made at 212-479-0829. The six performances will take place at <a href="http://www.harlemschoolofthearts.org/">The Harlem School of the Arts Theater</a>, 647 St. Nicholas Avenue between West 145th and 141st Streets, New York, NY 10030 as follows:<br /><br />· Wednesday, May 13 at 7 p.m.<br />· Saturday, May 16 at 11a.m.<br />· Wednesday, May 20 at 7 p.m.<br />· Wednesday, May 27 at 7 p.m.<br />· Saturday, May 30 at 5 p.m.<br />· Wednesday, June 3 at 7 p.m.<br /><br />If you're in the area, check it out!</div>http://blogojazz.blogspot.com/2009/05/cat-who-went-to-heaven.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Steve Bowie)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11546066.post-6786218610183164387Thu, 30 Apr 2009 12:39:00 +00002009-04-30T05:48:17.346-07:00Duke Ellingon, Jazz Genius<!-- LIFE GALLERY 25852 --><script type="text/javascript" src="http://www.life.com/embed/index/js"></script><script type="text/javascript">LIFEembedDrawGallery(25852);</script>Continue the celebration! I was informed by the good people at Life Magazine that they've put up a photo gallery commemorating Ellington (see above).http://blogojazz.blogspot.com/2009/04/duke-ellingon-jazz-genius.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Steve Bowie)0